When Dogs Fly
by Blazed Winter
Summary: I looked at the faces of the people around me, all smiling, all proud of my achievement; the fact that I succeeded. But at that moment I could have cared less about what they thought. I was only worried about him. Kiba/OC
1. Tripping Drunkards

** A/N: FINALLY! Finally, finally, finally done with the first chapter of this monstrosity that has been stewing in the deepest crevices of my brain for the past two years! I am the Queen of Procrastination. That aside, I am extremely excited to finally be getting this story out, and I promise my OC will not be a Mary-Sue. I personally love original characters, but it is just those few horribly written ones that completely turn readers off of all of them!...Please excuse my ranting (if you actually took the time to read this far into this Author's Note) and enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Sasuke would already be back and have a less pirate-like wardrobe. **

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I'd never been on a rescue mission before, let alone a solo one, so I was slightly nervous as I slinked around corners and down corridors of an enemy base in search of a comrade I'd never met. Tell me to retrieve enemy information on my own? No sweat. Espionage was my thing, saving fellow shinobi who were stupid enough to get their butts caught in the first place wasn't.

I continued to make my way down the winding hallways; carefully checking each door I passed before continuing to the next. I allowed myself a quiet sigh each time a door failed to reveal the prisoner I was attempting to free; I'd been at it for hours and could've sworn I was going in circles. After a long while, I came to a hall I didn't recognize. The walls were not marred with the silhouettes of door frames, and were instead covered in dark rusty-red splatters. I was positive it was blood.

I carefully grabbed the handle of a kunai in my pouch and proceeded carefully down the hallway. It went straight for a number of yards before the hall started curving gracefully to the left. A sinking feeling had formed in my gut; I was sure this was where things would get difficult.

Sure enough, as I peeked around the corner, back pressed against the stone wall, there were four shinobi in front of an arched wooden door. They were decked out in all black; protective vests covering their vital organs and weapon pouches strapped to their legs and hips. They were also all much larger than me; obviously male and obviously strong from the muscle covering their limbs.

Conversing among themselves in hushed voices, the four were apparently bored with their positions as prison guards. Two empty sake bottles sat abandoned next to the door, which led me to believe that they were at least slightly under the influence of alcohol. It was a lucky break for me; less chance of being completely pulverized, but I wasn't about to take any chances by hoping they were unable to walk a straight line.

This was where my espionage skills came in handy. I carefully focused my chakra throughout my body, effectively muffling the sound of my movements. I waited for the four to become distracted. It didn't take long before another white bottle of sake was pulled from one of the men's packs and was passed around, each guard taking a generous gulp before giving it to the next. Their quiet whispers quickly turned into boastful laughter and crude slurs as their alcohol tolerance depleted. I took this as my cue and quietly approached the drunken and unsuspecting quartet. The four were huddled very close together as they fought over who would have the last sip of sake, which made my job even easier than they were already making it. I almost felt sorry for them…almost.

Once close enough, I dropped to the ground and swung my foot out, causing the drunkards to come crashing down. They made a little more noise than I had hoped for when they made contact with the stone floor, so in order to prevent even more commotion, I smashed two of the men's heads together, effectively knocking them out. Before the two who were still conscious could call out for help, I slammed one against the closest wall and put the other under a genjutsu. I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and admired my work for a moment before turning to face the door the now incapacitated men had been guarding.

Pressing my ear to the wooden surface, I squinted my eyes slightly as I listened for any sound coming from the other side. I could hear ragged, unsteady breathing, but that was the only sound that I could depict. At least I was in the right place; I guessed that the person I was looking for was behind this door, but then again, it could've all been a trap that I was just walking straight into. I stared at the door, brow furrowed, and contemplated whether to proceed or retreat.

After a few drawn out moments, I heaved a sigh, "well, nothing ventured, nothing gained," I murmured to myself as I pushed open the wooden door.

The room was even darker than the hallways from which I came and shadows immediately fell over my form as I proceeded over threshold. The room was narrow with stone cold walls and floors. I was able to make out the form of a man at the back of the room, which I concluded to be the source of the ragged breathing. I was just about to go investigate further when a voice, much closer to a growl than the voice of a human, stopped me in my tracks.

"I already said…I wouldn't talk. So either kill me now… or just...leave."

The voice was menacing, but there was obviously no strength behind it; the tone was strong, but the delivery was breathless and shaky. It took me a moment before I realized the voice was coming from the form slumped against the back wall. I approached at a leisurely pace, the sound of my footsteps echoing off the walls. On closer inspection, the form turned out to be a brunette male. His hands were cuffed and a metal chain was attached to his neck. A paper seal was stuck to his forehead, most likely sealing his chakra, and his Konoha headband was clasped tightly in one of his restrained hands. Dark brown locks were matted with the rusty stain of blood that ran down his temples and over the red marks that adorned his cheeks.

I recognized him as the one in the picture I was shown when I was assigned this mission; Kiba Inuzuka.

I kneeled down in front of him so that my face was level with his. The man's eyes were downcast, lids drooping over glassy irises; he didn't even flinch at my close proximity.

"Kiba Inuzuka?" No answer. I sighed and began to rattle off all of the information given to me when I was assigned this mission over a week ago, "Kiba Inuzuka, 21 years of age, Jounin from Konohagakure, assigned an A-ranked mission three months ago to investigate the disappearance of a unit of three Konoha chuunin at the Fire Country's northern border, ambushed and taken prisoner by a group of rouge shinobi, sent out a distress signal with dog-nin Akamaru whom successfully escaped capture, correct?"

I had recited the information in one breath. I was inwardly proud of the feat.

Kiba looked up at me, a glare evident in his stare," who the hell are you?"

I frowned at the question; he obviously didn't trust me. "The one busting you outta here, that's who the hell I am."

His glare softened for a moment, but, within an instant, became stone cold again, "how do I know I can trust you?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I was wasting time talking to him; if the shinobi I had knocked out were of jounin level, they would be waking up any minute. Ignoring the question the man in front of me asked, I ripped the seal from his forehead, and began picking the lock on his handcuffs with a senbon. Once his hands were free, I broke the chain wrapped around his neck with a kunai.

"You can decide whether you trust me after we get out of here," I said as I helped him to his feet.

"And how do we… do that?" he huffed as he leaned against the wall for support.

"With explosives, of course," was my answer.

I pressed my ear to the same wall Kiba was leaning against, to make sure my plan would actually work, and smiled. Whoever chose this room to be the prison cell wasn't very smart. It was one of the outer rooms of the enormous building, meaning that escape was just one layer of cinderblock away.

I pulled an explosive note out of my pouch and tied it to a kunai, then pulled Kiba's arm around my shoulder, "think you can sprint about thirty yards?" I asked as his weight shifted onto me.

"Well, we'll find out," he smirked.

With that, I threw the kunai against the wall and darted forward. The wall crumbled easily (and loudly), and I had to be careful to avoid stone and other falling debris as I pumped chakra into my legs to carry both my weight and Kiba's. I could hear angry yells and shouts as the two of us ran toward the woods surrounding the base; the explosion had definitely alerted the rest of the rogue shinobi of our escape. I glanced over my shoulder to see at least fifteen men pursuing us.

I suddenly skidded to a halt a few feet short of the tree line, Kiba nearly falling over at the sudden change in momentum.

"What are you doing!" he screamed, trying to pull me forward.

I ignored him and instead put my pointer finger and thumb in my mouth and whistled. The high pitched sound rang through the air, and within moments, an enormous hawk the size of a small elephant darted toward us. Kiba stared at it, his mouth slightly ajar, as it landed in front of us.

"Stop staring and MOVE!" I yelled as I pushed him toward the giant avian.

We both clambered onto its back, the other shinobi quickly approaching from behind.

"Go, Tiny, GO!" I yelled frantically as I lightly smacked the side of the hawk's neck.

The bird gave a small squawk of understanding and spread its wings, pumping them up and down as we rose into the air, leaving a group of very angry men cursing and screaming below us.

Once we were a safe distance away, I fell backwards so that I was lying on my back, soft feathers cushioning my body, and let out a laugh, "well THAT was fun," I said sarcastically as my dark hair whipped around my face.

Kiba rolled his eyes, "yeah, if you like being nearly killed because of some crazy chick you never met."

"Hey!" I said defensively, "this crazy chick just rescued your butt!"

Kiba shook his head slightly with a small smile, "thanks."

I grinned in response and continued to lie on my back as we soared through the air.

Silence overtook us for a good ten minutes before Kiba interrupted it, "so, you never really answered my question earlier."

"And what question would that be?"

"Who the hell are you?"

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**A/N: Chapter one…FINISHED! Chapter two is in the works and will be out soon! Pinky swear! **

**Just a tip…Reviews make me write faster. Just click that pretty little review button down there, and all of your wildest dreams will come true! DO IT.**


	2. Instinct

**A/N: Okay, first off, I am EXTREMELY sorry to those of you who were actually anticipating my continuation of this story because I completely lied when I said I would be updating soon! I didn't mean to not update, it's just that a lot of personal stuff happened to come up right after I posted the first chapter, and after that I just did not have time to write. On the bright side, it is now summer, so I should have time for more frequent updates! Hooray! Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, for if I did, Gaara would have eyebrows.**

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I sat with my legs crossed and my chin resting in my palms as I stared at the now unconscious brunette across from me. It hadn't been long after his questioning of my identity that Kiba passed out from what was probably a mix of fatigue and blood loss. I had since bandaged up his wounds to the best of my ability, but heck, I definitely wasn't a medic and his condition was a bit more serious than I could handle. The guy looked like he'd been to hell and back. His hair was partially saturated in sticky blood and his complexion was sickly pale. Crimson stains were also apparent on random parts of his clothing where flesh was torn from obvious signs of torture and struggle. I found myself deeply frowning at the sight; he needed medical attention that I was far from able to providing.

We'd been flying for a good two hours and the sun was just beginning to sink below the horizon. If we were lucky we'd be home before morning.

Sighing at my inability to do anything further, I rummaged through my pack and pulled out a container of soldier pills. I needed to be able to stay awake in case anything happened to confront us on the way home. I popped a couple of the capsules in my mouth and swallowed hard; it was going to be a long night.

For the next few hours I simply sat and stared at the sky as it changed from hues of orange and pink to ones of navy blue and black. The stars danced gaily above my head as Tiny continued to fly towards home. The night was chilly and the cold air bit at my bare arms, making my hair stand on end. I would occasionally slap my cheeks to keep myself awake; the soldier pills weren't doing much after the first four hours and the last thing I needed was an overdose.

The entire time we traveled Kiba remained asleep. His slumber was a restless one. He would groan in pain at random intervals and his limbs would flinch and twitch. It wasn't long before he broke out into a cold sweat and began to shiver, a fever taking over at a violently fast pace.

I'd never felt so helpless. I was never one to take care of others. Even when I was still a kid living with my grandfather, I just took care of myself. Grandpa did the same. Our independence was something we shared…as contradictory as it sounds. I never got sick much, so I had no idea what to do in a situation like this. If I ever had a fever, I would just suck it up and tough it out. On the few missions I'd been on with other shinobi, there was always a medic who actually knew what they were doing. I, obviously, did not know what I was doing.

I knew basic first aid, but that was as far as my medical knowledge went. For all I knew the man laying in front of me could be getting hypothermia or suffering from internal bleeding, and there was nothing I could do. I felt useless; I felt stupid; I felt guilty. But, instead of just sitting there to watch the brunette in front of me die, I followed instinct.

I covered him with the traveling cloak I had brought with me and shifted him onto his back in an attempt to make him more comfortable. I then rummaged through my pack and found a rag. I doused it with water from my canteen and used it to wipe the sweat from his face and neck. It seemed to be helping at least a little. Kiba's facial features relaxed a bit and the fists he made with his hands loosened up. The rest of the flight home was about the same; Kiba remained unconscious and I worried over him.

A sigh of relief raced its way from my mouth when the walls surrounding Konohagakure appeared just over the horizon where the sun was beginning to rise.

"Good job, Tiny!" I proclaimed, patting the giant hawk on the side of the neck as the morning rays of sunlight began to kiss my skin.

The avian squawked in approval of my praise and continued toward the nearing village. A smile stayed on my face as I turned back to check on Kiba. He seemed a lot more peaceful than earlier, but his face was still extremely pale and a muffled moan would escape his lips every now again.

"At least we're almost home," I muttered to myself, still smiling.

Soon enough Tiny was swooping down low enough to fly through the northern gates of the village. I flashed my ID to the guard and advanced on to the hospital. We were upon the large building within minutes. I pumped chakra throughout my body as I carefully heaved Kiba onto my back.

"Geeze, you're heavy," I muttered to the unconscious man as I turned to send off the bird that had flown us home for nearly twelve hours, "thanks, Tiny!"

Tiny gave a nod of understanding before flying off. I then turned and proceeded to kick open the ER doors of the hospital with Kiba still strewn over my back. The room was surprisingly empty with maybe two or three patients sitting in the waiting room chairs. One person looked like they were suffering from some sort of complex wedgie. I repressed the urge to point and laugh and instead focused on getting help for Kiba.

"A little help here!" I shouted.

Kiba shifted and groaned on my back; I guessed the sudden change in motion paired with the increased volume of my voice was waking him up.

Within seconds, a pink-haired girl I had seen a couple times around town skid around the corner and rushed toward me, a mix of panic and relief coating her pale face, "Kiba!" she gasped as she recognized the now conscious man whom I was now helping off of my back, "Someone get me a stretcher, stat!" she yelled.

The rosette's request was quickly granted as a nurse dressed in light blue scrubs came dashing down the hall, stretcher in tow, "here you are, Dr. Haruno!" the nurse chirped as she parked the stretcher in front of us.

I wish I had people to order around like that.

Dr. Haruno and I helped the now half-awake Kiba up onto the stretcher while the nurse held it in place. Once he was safely lying on the contraption, Dr. Haruno went straight to work examining him. She pulled out her stethoscope and quickly checked his heartbeat. She then checked his pulse and carefully probed his upper abdomen. Once her mini examination was finished she turned to the nurse.

"Take him to exam room 6 and get him hooked up to an IV with some saline and anesthetic. Have a couple bags of type B on standby and keep an O.R. prepped," she rattled off to the nurse before turning to pat me on the shoulder, "really, thank you so much for rescuing him. We've all been really worried. I'll have to properly thank you some other time."

She didn't even give me time to reply before she quickly turned and dashed down the hall, determination and professionalism radiating off of her as she went. The nurse was just about to follow with the stretcher when Kiba's hand suddenly shot out and caught my wrist. I looked down at the man curiously. He seemed to be just on the edge of consciousness.

"You never…said your…name," he huffed out in a strained voice.

I frowned at the fact that my name was the most important thing to him at the moment when he was practically dying on a table. When I didn't immediately answer his face twisted into a scowl and he tightened his grip on my wrist.

Still frowning, I complied with his silent demand, "Nao Adachi," I said quietly.

With a nod of understanding, Kiba dropped his hand from my wrist, all the while keeping his tired gaze directed at me.

"Thank you," was all he managed to say before his eyes fluttered shut once more and the nurse wheeled him away after Dr. Haruno.

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**A/N: Sooooo, I admit this chapter was a bit rushed, but I just needed to get them back to Konoha :X The next chapter should be more entertaining! Thank you to everyone who reviewed my first chapter! I hope you also review this one and I encourage others to do the same! Peer-pressure is a good thing when it comes to reviews! :3**


	3. Old People Hate Me

**A/N: I know, I know, don't hate me! I'm really sorry for being MIA! I've just been super busy...yeah, most overused excuse in the book. But seriously, I've been swamped. It's my junior year in high school and between AP classes and scholarship applications, I've barely had time for a personal life, let alone fanfiction. But don't worry! I haven't forgotten about this story and all of the wonderful people who have been patiently waiting for its continuation! so here it is! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not know Naruto. If I did, I would actually be up to date as to what's happening in the series.**

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Four hours had passed before I finally began to wonder why the heck I was still sitting in the ER lobby waiting on a health update on a man I'd known for less than a day. The guy was a fellow Konoha shinobi, sure, but other than that, nothing was really obligating me to wait and see if he would live or not.

I shook my head and fought off a yawn as I shifted my gaze up to the lone clock on the wall in front of me. The thin black hands indicated that it was nearing 11 am. I frowned, realizing I should've reported to the Hokage with my mission report a few hours ago.

"Come on, Nao, why should you care if he lives or not?" I muttered to myself as I stood from my chair and stretched my arms over my head, "your job was just to get him to the village alive, not make sure he stayed that way."

An old woman who had occupied the chair next to mine eyed me warily as I continued to hold a conversation with myself while I strode towards the exit. I ignored her judgmental stare as I pushed my way through the double doors; old people never seemed to like me much. As soon as I was outside I headed towards the Hokage Tower. I was too lazy to write a mission report so I decided to just straight up report to the head-honcho himself. I arrived at the massive building within a few minutes and nodded to the guard as I began to climb the stairs.

Even though I was only half way up the steps I could already hear a frustrated (and quite loud) conversation brewing within the Hokage's office. I knocked as soon as I reached the large oak doors, but the voices coming from inside the office were so loud that their owners had no chance of hearing me. When I knocked for the second time and still received no sort of acknowledgement to my presence, I simply shrugged and entered the room, silence abruptly taking over as I stepped inside. Three council members were crowded around the Hokage whom was seated at his desk. All four men looked incredibly agitated at one another, and my sudden appearance didn't seem to help matters; whatever they were discussing wasn't meant for my ears.

"Hi," I said lamely, attempting to break up the awkwardness that was permeating the air.

One of the council members, a rather old and wrinkly one I might add, scowled as he turned to face me, "you girl, don't you know better than to just come into the Hokage's office of your own free will? Shame on you!"

I threw my hands up in a sarcastic form of surrender at the old fart's accusations, "hey, I knocked. Twice," I held up two fingers for emphasis, "it's not my fault no one answered."

The man's face grew livid and he was about to retort when the Hokage stood and began to usher the three men out, "we can finish our conversation …not now. Bye."

The councilmen made impatient noises and shot me glares as they filed out the door past me. It took just about all of my will-power not to stick my tongue out at them and flip'em a bird, but being the lovely lady I am, I pushed aside the urge and put on an innocent face. Yup, old people definitely hated me. The door slammed rather loudly behind them and as soon as he was sure they were gone, the Hokage plopped on the ground in a rather childlike manner and chucked his hat across the office.

"I quit! Being Hokage has been my dream since before I was born, but I just can't take these crazy old kooks!" the blond complained as his bottom lip stuck out.

I laughed at the man's behavior before plopping down on the couch next to his desk. I had become friends with the new Konoha leader since he had been appointed as Hokage a little over six months ago. Before, I had just known him as the Kyuubi-boy who saved the village, but since he became Hokage, I came to know him through the many mission consultations we shared. Our bond was rather strong for one not even a year old.

"Naruto, pouting will get you nowhere," I said as I stretched out on the leather couch, I hadn't slept in at least forty-eight hours and my eyelids were heavy with fatigue.

"You try dealing with those old bags of evil then!" he whined as he made his way back to his desk. He heaved a sigh and leaned back in his chair, "why are you here, anyway?"

I feigned being hurt by his words and immediately gasped, "what is this? Do you not enjoy my delightful company?"

The blond rolled his blue eyes at my act but did not try to hide his grin as he sifted through the piles of paperwork on his desk. Hey, at least I cheered him up a bit, "nope, not one bit. Your company is the bain of my existence. But seriously, what's with the visit?"

I readjusted my position on the couch so that I was upside down, hoping the rush of blood to my head would help me wake up, "you were the one who sent me on the mission. I'm here to report. I saved your friend."

"Really? Kiba's back?" Naruto asked excitedly as he quickly stuffed a mountain of papers into a nearby filing cabinet.

"No wonder your secretary hates you," I commented as he struggled to push the bulging drawer closed.

"Shut up," he grunted as he finally pushed the drawer shut. "So how is he? Where is he now?"

I tumbled backwards off the couch and landed rather ungracefully on my feet, "he's at the hospital being treated. I dropped him off there at about seven this morning when I got back to the village. Some pink lady, Haruno I think, took him. You know her, right?"

Naruto's face was adorned with a broad grin as he nodded, "yeah! If Sakura's taking care of him then he'll be good in no time!"

"Sure, I guess," I said with a nod, losing interest in the subject. But a part of me couldn't help but feel relieved at Naruto's statement; at the knowledge that the man I had rescued was in good hands.

A yawn passed my lips and I stretched a bit, "well, I just wanted to let you know I'm back. Mission accomplished. Send me my payment when you get the chance. I'm going home to crash."

Naruto, ignoring everything I had just said, scrambled across the room to pick up the hat he had previously thrown, and shoved it on his head. Then, throwing on his Hokage robe, he grabbed my wrist and began to drag me from the office.

"Hey!" I cried as I stumbled to keep with the blond's quick pace, his vice-like grip on my wrist giving me no choice but to follow, "where the hell are you taking me?"

"To go see Kiba, of course!" he chirped as we proceeded to exit the building.

"But I just came from there!"

"Your point?"

"I left because I was done there. I have no reason to go back!"

"And?" came his reply. We were already half-way to the hospital.

"I want to go home, you idiot!"

"Why?"

"Because. I. Want. To. Sleep." I spat. People were beginning to watch with interest as the Hokage happily dragged me through the street.

"That's stupid."

"You're stupid! Now let me go!" I said as I dug my heels in the ground and tried to pull my wrist from his grasp, but my attempts were futile. He wasn't the Hokage for nothing.

"Too late. We're already here," he said triumphantly as he pushed his way through the hospital doors, keeping me in tow.

"I hate you," I hissed as I noticed the old woman from earlier glaring at me from the same chair.

"Why's that?" he said absentmindedly as he glanced around the lobby.

"Naruto Uzumaki, I haven't been home in over a week, I haven't gotten any sleep in over two days, and for some reason, you seem compelled to prolong my discomfort. That," I said, finally wrenching my wrist from his loosened grasp, "is why I hate you."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, waving off my explanation as a nurse came up to him and bowed.

"Lord Hokage! What brings you here? Are you injured?" the women asked, casting me a sidelong glance as I attempted to inch away before she turned her attention back to the most important man in the village.

"No, I'm fine. Can you tell me where Sakura is?" He asked, putting a hand on my shoulder to halt my escape.

"Oh, Doctor Haruno just got out of surgery. She should be in her office, sir."

"Thanks," he grinned as the woman bowed and left.

He then, much to my annoyance, began to steer me in the direction of the elevators.

"Naruto, why do you insist on making me go with you to see your friends? I don't even know them!" I threw my hands up to emphasize my exasperation as the blond hit the button for the correct floor number.

"You need new friends. It's good to have friends other than me."

"I have other friends!"

"Birds and your grandpa don't count."

"…Shut up. So why are you taking me with you? Seriously!"

A sigh escaped the blond. "Because you saved someone who a lot of people care about," he said simply, "and I'm thankful for that. I'm sure Sakura wants to thank you as well, and even though he's an ass, I'm sure Kiba will want to thank you too. "

"Oh," was all I could say. I didn't really know how to respond to Naruto when he got sincere. In the six months I'd known him, I learned that if he wasn't being his hyperactive-happy-go-lucky self, he was completely serious. There wasn't really an in between, but I guess the certainty of his personality was what made him so endearing.

The elevator reached the appropriate floor with a high-pitched 'ding' and the two of us proceeded down an adjoining hall. I followed Naruto obediently this time, feeling a bit too guilty to try for another escape. When we arrived at a door at the end of the hall, Naruto knocked once and pushed it open, revealing the pink-haired doctor I had run into earlier. She looked up tiredly at our entrance, but her face blossomed into a smile once she realized who we were. I couldn't help but realize how pretty she was despite looking completely exhausted.

"Hey Sakura, how's Kiba?" Naruto asked as he walked over to give the girl a hug.

"He's doing great!" the rosette replied enthusiastically as she hugged the blond before turning to me, "you're Nao Adachi, right? The one who rescued him?"

I opened my mouth to reply only to be abruptly cut off when the woman launched herself at me, wrapping me in a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you so much! If it weren't you Kiba probably wouldn't have pulled through as well as he did."

"Um, no problem?" I said uncertainly as I was released. I wasn't exactly accustomed to strangers hugging me.

"Sorry," she said, taking a step back but keeping her smile in place, "but I just hope you know how thankful I am."

I gave Sakura a smile in response and shook my head, ignoring the 'I-told-you-so' look Naruto was giving me, "it was nothing, really."

"It was anything but nothing," she said in reply, but didn't push the matter any further. It was my turn to be thankful. I wasn't good at this whole 'thanks-so-much-for-doing-your-job-I'm-going-to-hug-you-even-though-I-have-no-idea-who-you-are' thing.

"So can we see him or what?" Naruto asked obviously referring to Kiba.

Sakura's face scrunched up in thought as she studied the clock on her wall, "hmmm, yes, that should be okay. His surgeries went smoothly so he's pretty patched up now. Nothing majorly wrong except exhaustion and dehydration, but that can be easily fixed. He should be waking up soon anyway. Follow me."

Sakura swiped a clipboard off of her desk and headed out of the office. Naruto and I followed, Naruto skipping happily. I rolled my sleep-deprived eyes.

"How in the world are you the Hokage?" Sakura and I said at the same time. We made eye contact with matching expressions of surprise and then laughed. I had a feeling I could get along with her.

"Hey, no fair! Two against one!" Naruto whined as the two of us continued to laugh.

We quickly reached the room Kiba was resting in, and, after making sure Naruto was finished whining, entered it quietly. Kiba was asleep on the only bed in the room, at the foot of which a giant dog was looking at us happily, tail wagging as it silently guarded its master. The brunette was bandaged in a couple places, but the majority of his wounds were gone. An IV was hooked to one arm while a couple wires were stuck onto his chest connecting him to a heart monitor. The machine gave off a steady beat, showing that his pulse and oxygen intake were perfectly healthy. I took the opportunity to study his face, which was now relaxed and peaceful, the exact opposite of how it had been when he slept on the journey home.

"He looks way better than he did this morning," the words were out of my mouth before I even knew I was saying them.

Sakura just smiled at me, "yeah, I overreacted a bit this morning and got a lot more medics than necessary to help me heal him, so he's definitely okay now."

I just nodded, not knowing what else to do, and took a seat on a couch that was pushed up against one of the white walls, folding my hands over my stomach and leaning my head back.

Exhaustion enveloped me as soon as I sat, so I allowed my eyes to flutter shut as Sakura and Naruto conversed, "do the others know he's back?"

"I called Hinata when I got out of surgery. She said she'd let the others know and that they'd visit tomorrow when he has more strength."

"That's good. Stupid mutt had me scared for a while there, Akamaru coming back without him after being missing for three months," the relief in Naruto's voice was evident, but he sounded distant as I teetered on the edge of consciousness.

Was it rude of me to just fall asleep here like this? At the moment I didn't even care. Sleep was so close and just too tempting to pass up.

"She must be exhausted," Sakura's voice was fuzzy, but my subconscious knew she was referring to me, "you should've just let her go home, Naruto. Why drag her here?"

"You wanted to thank her, didn't you?"

Sakura sighed, "yes, but that could've waited until a later time."

Naruto just laughed, "it was kinda an excuse to introduce her to you anyway. I've been meaning to for a while. She hasn't been in Konoha long. I swear I'm probably the only person here who really talks to her."

"She grew up outside of Konoha? How? She's a Jounin here, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she grew up in a really small village a couple days' journey south of here. Her grandfather brought her up. He's a veteran so he trained her. She came here a little over a year ago, took a test and registered as a Konoha shinobi…" Naruto's voice sounded miles away as he rattled off what I had previously told him of my life's history. I could tell that their conversation continued but I could no longer make out their words as sleep finally overtook my senses.

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**A/N: so yeah, that was chapter 3! Not much going on there...so review and tell me about how much you would like to see more development! Chapter 4 should be out soon! And I say that with confidence because I'm literally working on it right now and it's almost done. I'm being completely serious, over 1,300 words are typed and ready, so expect it soon! Don't let me procrastinate! Review and tell me how much you want it!...so many exclamation points...Thanks for the support, as always:)**


	4. Because That's What Friends Do

**A/N: Whoa. Two updates in one day. I feel majorly accomplished! Hooray for random sick days giving me time to write! Seeing how many hits I've gotten so soon after updating with chapter 3 has also been super motivating! You guys are awesome! And to all of you who reviewed, you're awesome too! Anyway, this chapter flowed pretty easily for me, so I'm rather proud of it. I hope it isn't super long winded or anything considering I wrote it all in one sitting...Hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Nao would be an actual character.**

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The first thing I noticed when I pried my eyes open was that I was still in Kiba's hospital room. I rubbed my eyes and pushed myself us so I was sitting. During my sleep I had somehow curled into a horizontal position on the couch. I had also been covered with a thin sheet and a pillow had been carefully tucked under my head.

"Geeze, what time is it?" I muttered to myself as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

"3:24 AM"

My head snapped in the direction of the voice. Kiba was awake, sitting up on his bed and writing something in a notebook on his lap.

"Huh?" was all I could manage as I examined my surroundings.

The view outside the window next to the bed was dark. The room itself was dimly lit; small amounts of light coming from a tiny lamp next to the bed. I also became quickly aware of the fact that no one else was in the room, not even Akamaru.

"It's 3:24 in the morning. You've been out for nearly fifteen hours," Kiba said as he closed the notebook in his lap and turned to face me.

"Oh," I said lamely, attempting to overcome the idea of allowing myself to fall asleep in the hospital room of a guy who was practically a stranger. I stood from the couch and smoothed out my shirt, "well, sorry for intruding, I'll just get out of your hair now."

The response I received started out with a deep laugh, "you're not bothering me, if that's what you think. It was actually pretty interesting to see a shinobi sleep through the twenty plus people who came through here, especially considering how damn noisy they all were."

I shrugged, trying to cover up the disappointment in myself for sleeping so long, "if they weren't a threat to me then of course I wouldn't wake up."

Another laugh, "point taken. But hey, thanks again, for, you know, saving my ass."

I raised my eyebrows at how uncomfortable the words sounded coming out of the brunette's mouth, "y-yeah, no problem," I replied.

A toothy grin spread across his face at my stutter, completely replacing the bashfulness that had come along with his apology, "what? Falling for my charm already? I'm flattered."

My cheeks grew warm and I was secretly thankful for the dim lighting, "you wish," I scoffed.

"I kid, I kid," he chuckled, "Nao, right? Well, really, thanks. "

I furrowed my brow in frustration, "why is everyone thanking me so much?"

Kiba's expression dropped, "what do you mean?"

I sighed, and at the back of my mind I wondered why I was still here, talking to the man in front of me, "I mean all I did was my job. I get told to do something, I do it, I get paid, end of story. That should be it. This is the first mission I've had where there's been a, um, uh, an after taste, I guess."

Kiba snorted, "an after taste?"

"Oh, I don't know how to say it," I huffed impatiently, "I guess I'm trying to say that it's the first time the mission hasn't been cut completely off. Like it's the first time I've gotten so many people saying thanks for it. Usually when I finish a mission it's done. I don't stay around to see the clients, I don't hear from them, I don't hold conversations with them outside of the mission… I just…" I was blabbering. I knew I was, so I bit my tongue to keep anymore words from tumbling out of my mouth. Why was I trying to explain myself? I should have already left. I allowed myself a last look at the man on the hospital bed before I made my escape, but was surprised to see a deep frown adorning his features as he stared at me full on. "What?" I said uncertainly.

"You don't get thanked?" he asked softly, frown still prominent on his tanned face.

"Not this much," I said, crossing my arms and cocking my head as if I had already made that fact very obvious. "I do espionage, so my clients don't usually like talking about whatever they get me to do. Top secret stuff."

"That's sad."

I raised an eyebrow at that, a bit confused, "why? I get paid. I don't get why it's necessary to thank me so much. I didn't do this of my own free will. I do it because I get something out of it. Why should I expect any thanks?"

"Naruto said you're fairly new here, to Konoha, I mean," he said, hoisting himself up so he was now sitting with his legs dangling off the side of the bed and facing me completely.

I shrugged, pushing back my annoyance at the sudden change in subject, "I've been here for a year, give or take."

"He also said you don't have many friends."

I felt my entire face heat up. The dim lighting wouldn't be doing me any favors this time. I was sure my complexion was a lovely tomato red by now. "Naruto needs to learn to shut his mouth," I muttered.

Kiba cracked a smile, "hell yeah, he does." He then reached over to the notebook he had previously been writing in and tossed it to me.

I caught it and stared at it, back to Kiba, then back to the notebook, "what's this for?"

"My mission report. Mind handing it in for me when you hand in yours?" he asked as the corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk.

I scowled, "and why should I do that?"

"Because that's what friends do."

That statement stopped me short. I pressed my lips into a fine line, completely at a loss as to what to say. A long silence stretched between us until I finally broke it, "I'm just gonna go now." I turned on my heels and headed for the door. Just as I was about to close it behind me, Kiba spoke up.

"Hey, we're friends now! That means you have to visit me!" I didn't turn back around to look, but I could hear the smile in his voice.

The door shut behind me with a small 'click' and I made no hesitation as I headed for home. The hospital was dark, and the nurse at the front desk looked at me questioningly as I left; it was obviously past visiting hours.

My trek home was short, but gave me some time to think about all that had just taken place. I decided that the next time I saw Naruto I would definitely need to pulverize him. The blond idiot talked way too much for his own good, but I couldn't help but smile at the thought of his actions; he only did it for my benefit, which I appreciated despite the embarrassment that came along with it.

It was true that I didn't have a very large circle of friends within Konoha. Heck, Naruto was the only one who really fell into the 'friend' category. Well, him and now Kiba, I guess. I wasn't too sure about how I felt about the latter though. I looked at the notebook in my hand and then quickly pushed the thought away. I still didn't know the guy well enough for him to be friend material.

I considered everyone else more under the title of 'acquaintance'. It's not that I didn't have friends because no one wanted to be my friend; it's just that I wasn't particularly fond of the idea of having many. I didn't see the point in developing affection for so many people who could be killed or kidnapped in a matter of seconds. Unnecessary relationships were more trouble than they were worth. That's what Grandpa had taught me at least.

I had grown up with my grandfather, my mother's father, in a very small village. My father, a shinobi from a neighboring village, had abandoned my mother, a civilian, when he had found out that she was pregnant. Having lived in such a small place, there wasn't much available in terms of medical care, so my mother had passed away due to complications when giving birth to me.

That left me to be raised by Grandpa. Grandpa had been a shinobi of Konoha up until his early thirties, when he met my late grandmother on a mission and settled down. He trained me from the time I could walk, swearing that he would make me into a "real shinobi," one that was better than that "bastard father" of mine. He was good to me though, and I appreciated all the effort he had put into raising me.

When I came to the door of my apartment I dug my keys out of my pocket and jammed them into the keyhole. I pushed the now unlocked door open, stepped inside the apartment, and shut it behind me. An involuntary smile met my lips as my senses accepted the familiarity of my surroundings. I loved my apartment. To be completely honest, it felt more like home than the village I had grown up in ever did. I missed Grandpa from time to time, but we exchanged letters and I was confident that he could take care of himself.

My apartment wasn't anything super big or fancy, but it was nice. The front door opened up to the living room on the right and the kitchen on the left, the two rooms separated by some counter space in the kitchen that hosted two bar chairs. Branching out from the north wall of the living room was a hall way with a bathroom and master bedroom on the right, a guest bedroom and utility closet on the left, and a storage closet at the end of the hall.

I kicked my shoes off, not even bothering to set them on the little rack I kept next to the door, and headed straight for my bedroom. I threw the notebook on my bed only to have it bounce off and land open on the floor. I didn't even spare it a glance.

A shower was calling my name.

Snatching some clean underwear and an oversized t-shirt from my dresser, I dragged myself over to the bathroom and turned on the water. The small room was soon filled with steam, and I let out a content sigh as I stepped in the shower and warm water began to beat against my tight muscles. I frowned after realizing how gross I was. Then again, what did I expect after being away on a mission for over a week?

I doused myself in body wash and shampooed my hair at least three times. Once I felt I was sufficiently clean, I turned off the now cold water, dried myself with a towel, and pulled the t-shirt on over my head. I dumped my dirty cloths into the washer in the utility closet before heading back to my room, where a tiny chickadee was pecking determinedly on the sliding glass door that led out to a small balcony.

"Kenny!" I cried happily as I padded over to the door and swung it open, allowing the little bird to fly in and land on the perch hanging from the corner of my ceiling.

He twittered happily at me as he hopped around, obviously overjoyed to be back inside.

Kenny, like Tiny, the hawk who had brought Kiba and I back to Konoha, was one of my many shinobi birds. My grandfather had worked with birds back when he was still active duty, and had gotten me adjusted to them from an early age. They were like my extended family. Kenny especially was close to me. I'd been with him for as long as I could remember.

I whistled softly at him and held out my finger as a perch. In response, the little bird flew over and landed gracefully on my index.

"I bet you're hungry," I said, patting his little head, "I am too, let's go see what's good in the kitchen."

Kenny chirped happily in response and flew ahead of me down the hall. He was perched patiently on the back of one of the bar chairs and looked at me expectantly as I fetched some seed from the pantry, poured some on a saucer, and set it on the counter. Once I knew the little bird was content with his meal, I turned to rummage through the fridge for something for myself. Unfortunately, everything with an expiration date had pretty much been spoiled during my absence.

"Just my luck," I muttered darkly as I went to go find a garbage bag.

By the time I finished cleaning out the fridge, the sun was up and filling the apartment with morning light, and the sounds of the village getting ready for the day were meeting my ears. I ran outside to dump the now spoiled food in the dumpster at the back of the apartment building, waving to the landlord as I went.

When I was back inside I grabbed a box of cereal from the pantry and began to eat it dry as I made my way back to my bedroom. I decided restocking my fridge would be a good way to kill the morning hours, so I replaced my oversized t-shirt with a hoodie and some shorts, and pulled my short hair up into a sloppy bun. I analyzed myself in the mirror, noticing how much like a civilian I looked. It had been a good seven months since I had taken some time off of work, so seeing myself in something other than my shinobi gear was a bit foreign.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kiba's notebook still lying open on the floor. I let out a frustrated sigh, realizing that in it was his mission report, and that I still had to write mine. I went over to retrieve the notebook from the ground, and leafed through the pages. A smile made its way to my lips as I read the notebook's contents. Kenny had long finished his meal and landed lightly on my shoulder as I continued to read. He gave a few nips at some pieces of hair hanging around my face, letting me know that he wanted my attention.

"Hey Kenny, I think I have two friends in Konoha now," I said as I closed the notebook and grabbed my wallet.

Kenny cocked his little head to the side and let out a confused chirp. I just shook my head, smile still in place, and headed out to town with Kenny on my shoulder, my wallet in one hand, and in the other hand, the notebook in which Kiba had written up not only his mission report, but mine as well, signed at the end with a simple statement; _because that's what friends do_.

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**A/N: Hooray for progress! I feel like this chapter is giving me the leverage I need to make the story line pick up a bit. It's gotten me super excited about writing upcoming chapters! So what did you all think? Review and let me know how you're liking it so far! I would so start working on chapter 5 RIGHT NOW if it weren't for the fact that I have piles of AP chemistry make-up work waiting for me...so keep reviews coming to get me motivated to write as soon as I'm done! I'll do my best to make updates in a more timely manner:) Once again, you guys are AWESOME, and your support is AMAZING!  
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	5. Comfortable

**A/N: I'm too guilty to say anything here, other than that I am super super SUPER sorry for the inconsistant nature of my updates. I hope you enjoy this chapter though! It's almost 5,000 words so prepare yourself :O  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, it'd probably be much less popular since I obviously suck at updating.  
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A week had passed since I had completed my last mission, and I had yet to be assigned another.

I was bored. Very bored. And irritated. VERY irritated.

At first, I had felt good about taking a rest after my long and continuous string of missions. After I had rescued Kiba, I thought-heck, I KNEW-I deserved a day or two off. So with that resolve in mind, I had marched up to Naruto and told him I wanted to kick back for a little while before I took on any more missions. The blond enthusiastically agreed, and immediately got his secretary to write me up for a month-long paid vacation.

Yes, that's right. A month. I ask for two days off and the idiot gives me thirty.

Now, I understand that any other normal shinobi would be ecstatic to have so much free time, all the while still getting paid as they loaf around on their arse. Only here's the thing; I'm not like other normal shinobi.

I like having something to do, and working for my pay, so to me, Naruto pretty much forcing me into paid leave was the equivalent to locking me in a padded room with nothing to entertain myself with but a piece of string and some pocket lint.

String and pocket lint do not have high entertainment values. At all.

I had even told him exactly that when he had shouted at his secretary to clear all my missions until June, but he only gave a look of pure stupidity and said, "Nao, you seriously need a life outside of work."

So for the past week I had done nothing but train in the mornings, and then wander aimlessly around town until it became dark enough for me to go home and sleep.

"Naruto, I hate you," I muttered darkly one day as I made my way down a random street in Konoha, ignoring the worried glances civilians were throwing me as I continued to curse the village leader.

It was a busy Saturday morning; the sun was high, signaling the approaching noon, and shop keepers were busily attending to their customers while children ran around happily, relishing in the absence of school that the weekend provided.

I followed whatever path my feet decided to take me. I had no place to be, so I took each step one at a time, allowing my eyes to wander over every detail of the town around me. I snacked on a popsicle as I walked, the coolness of the treat keeping the heat of the day at bay.

I eventually found myself out of the busy streets of the village and instead in the middle of one of the training fields. It was empty, so I allowed myself to collapse to the ground, soft grass pressing against my back as I stared up at the sky. Well, glared rather than stared. I honestly could not remember the last time I had been this bored.

The sound of footsteps met my ears, prompting me to immediately sit up with my popsicle hanging from my mouth. A giant dog was bounding straight for me. I let out a squeak as I rolled out of the way of the giant mound of fur, dropping my popsicle in the process. Before I could even complain about the contamination of my frozen treat, the giant canine leapt on top of me, let out a 'woof' in greeting, and happily began to lick my face.

I sputtered and flailed a bit until a voice called the dog back, "Akamaru! Don't eat her!"

"Yeah! I am not edible!" I flailed a bit more until the dog retreated a few steps, allowing me to sit up and see Kiba jogging across the field.

"You okay?" he asked as he reached me, a smile evident in his voice.

"If 'okay' translates to wet and popsicle-less, then yes, I'm freaking peachy."

The brunette merely rolled his eyes and grabbed my arm, hoisting me to my feet before I even knew what was happening. A "thanks" fumbled its way out of my mouth as I struggled to find my balance.

"You're welcome, but I'm ticked at you," Kiba whined, crossing his arms and puffing out his cheeks. It reminded me of a three-year-old who had just been deprived of sweets.

I scowl, "and why's that?"

"You didn't come back to visit me in the hospital!" he declared, pointing an accusing finger at me. Akamaru happily barked in agreement as he sat next to his owner.

"Oh," I replied lamely, deflating as I remembered Kiba's previous request for me to visit, "oops."

Kiba cracked a smile, "you'd better be. But I guess we can call it even since Akamaru here trampled you."

I couldn't help it; a smile found its way to my lips as well. Being around Kiba was just…comfortable.

"We're even," I agree.

I guess it's pretty safe to say that from that day onward, Kiba and I were the equivalent of best friends. Due to his injuries and extended period of captivity, Naruto had forced him into paid leave as well, so I assume our mutual boredom was a major factor in our fast friendship.

Most mornings during our mission-free month were spent training together, usually followed by us wandering aimlessly around the village and complaining. Kenny and Akamaru had become close as well (something I found ironically hilarious due to their vast difference in size) which was probably sparked by their mutual hatred of cats. They would often go off by themselves to torment the felines of the village, something Kiba and I were occasionally scolded for, but found so entertaining that we did nothing to stop them no matter how many old ladies chased us down for it.

During this time, I had also been gradually added to Kiba's and Naruto's circle of friends. After becoming close to Kiba and enduring Naruto's encouragement, I guess I just sort of gave up on my whole "don't get close to people" policy. I'm pretty glad, too; people are pretty good at making life less boring. Shocking, right?

About three days out from the end of our forced vacation, Kiba and I had decided to look through old mission reports along with the Bingo Book in preparation for our return to action. We had taken refuge from the heat of the outdoors in my apartment, sitting on the floor next to the air conditioner in my living room as we sifted through the mass of papers, popsicles hanging from our mouths as we circled the names of rogue shinobi we wanted to take out as our potential first mission back on the job. We had been at it for at least three hours and had racked up a pretty hefty list.

"What about this guy?" I asked as I pointed to a rather gnarly looking shinobi with my popsicle.

Kiba leaned over my shoulder to look at my suggestion, taking his frozen treat from his mouth, "Toshikuni Abukara…A-Ranked…stolen scrolls from central library…murdered seven…nah, too dull," he waved his hand for me to keep looking for other criminals.

I frowned slightly, flipping into the S-ranked section of the book. I turned the pages until the picture of a dark haired man stopped me. I studied the picture carefully, wondering why the face looked so familiar.

"Sasuke Uchiha," came Kiba's voice from next to me.

I looked at him for a moment as the name sank in, "oh yeah," I murmured softly, remembering the picture of team seven that was ever present on Naruto's desk. "You all were close to him, weren't you?" I think of Sakura, whom I had recently become especially close to.

"Yeah. We all were," Kiba sighed as he bit off the last bite of his popsicle, "especially Naruto and Sakura. As much as they say they've moved on, everyone knows they've never given up hope that he'll back. It's been eight years since he first left."

I nodded slowly and flipped the page to look at his stats, "the bounty on him has gone down over the past two years," I read, slightly surprised as I continued to skim the page.

"Eye-witnesses have sent in reports of him saving people; helping out shinobi from our village and allies'. I guess it's like getting off on good behavior. He hasn't done anything against anyone in about four years, so he's not seen as much of a threat anymore," Kiba scratched his head slightly, probably brushing off a bad memory, then reached over to turn the page, "he's not an option either."

Despite my intense interest in the former comrade of my friends, I decided it was best not to push the subject.

I changed the direction of the conversation by finishing off my popsicle and pushing the Bingo Book and the other papers off of my lap, "okay, I think we have enough," I stood up and stretched out the kinks in my muscles that came from sitting for so many hours, "I'm hungry. Let's go grab a bite to eat."

Kiba perked up at the mention of food, "awesome idea."

We left our mess next to the air conditioner, having decided that at the moment food was more important than tidying up. Kenny and Akamaru were sleeping in the middle of the hallway, so we just left them be as we left my apartment in search of nourishment.

The sky was fading to a deep shade of orange, but even with the approaching evening, the summer air was uncomfortably hot.

"I can't wait to go on a flipping mission," I whined as we walked through the streets of the busy village.

"Three days," Kiba stated, throwing his hands behind his head as we walked, "I haven't felt this lazy in ages. I'll kill Naruto if he ever does this again."

"Agreed," I frowned, "actually, I would probably die of boredom before I could kill the blond idiot."

"HEY! DON'T CALL ME AN IDIOT!"

Kiba and I both flinched at the familiar voice and turned to see the very man we had just been talking about. Cerulean eyes glared at us from the Ichiraku Ramen stand. Sakura Haruno waved excitedly from her seat next to the peeved village leader.

My brunette friend and I exchanged glances and headed towards the small establishment. If we were gonna eat something, might as well be ramen.

"Yo, Mr. Hokage!" Kiba greeted, clapping the still-glaring Naruto on the back.

The blond muttered something unintelligible at the greeting, waving his hand slightly before turning back to the steaming bowl in front of him.

I laughed and took the open seat between Sakura and Kiba.

"So what have you guys been up to?" Sakura chirped brightly as Kiba and I placed our orders.

Kiba answered first, "Scouting assholes in the Bingo Book to take out for our first missions back on the job after this idiot," he jabbed a pair of chopsticks in Naruto's direction, "deprived us of work for the past month."

"STOP CALLING ME AN IDIOT!" Naruto exclaimed as ramen noodles dangled from his mouth.

Sakura made a face of disgust before hitting him on the head with her gloved fist, "just because you're Hokage doesn't give you a pass to be obnoxious, stupid!"

"OW," Naruto whined as he nursed the new lump on his forhead, "three against one is no fair."

"That's what you get for not letting me go on any missions," I said cheerfully as I broke apart my chopsticks and began to dig into the steaming bowl that had just been placed in front of me.

"Hey. You should be thanking me for that. You have friends other than me now. I gifted you with a social life," Naruto commented before ordering his third bowl of ramen.

I merely shrugged as I continued to slurp up my noodles. Naruto had a point, the past month off did have a silver lining, but I would be damned before I gave in and said the blond was right.

"What about me then?" Kiba said as he finished his first bowl and started on a second, "I had a social life beforehand, so my month off was pure torture."

Naruto was quick with his rebuttal, "no, you got to meet someone who's as much of a smart-ass as you," obviously referring to me.

I didn't take that as an insult though, and apparently Kiba didn't either as we made eye-contact immediately after Naruto's comment and bumped our fists together, "he's jealous," I concluded.

"Most definitely."

Sakura laughed at our exchange while Naruto just continued to pout, "so when are you guys coming back to work?" she asked pleasantly.

"Three days!" Kiba and I exclaimed in unison.

Naruto's head suddenly snapped up from what had to be his fifth bowl of ramen and turned to us, "oh yeah, that reminds me. I'm cutting your break short. I need Nao for a mission tomorrow. Kiba, you'd probably be good for it too. A-ranked. Whaddaya say?"

Kiba and I jumped up at the same time, delighted smiles adorning our features.

"Hell yeah!" the brunette whooped, pumping his fist into the air.

I tackled Naruto, wrapping his spiky yellow head in a hug, "Naruto, you are the best Hokage ever! The best, the best, THE BEST!"

Naruto flailed wildly until I let him go, "geeze, Adachi, don't smother me," he complained, but a grin dominated his tan face showing his approval of my reaction. Excitement danced behind his blue orbs. "Sakura, I want you on this one too. You up for it?"

"Sure thing!" she complied happily, paying her tab as she stood from her seat.

"Perfect," the blond said, clapping his hands together in satisfaction, "meet in my office tomorrow afternoon at five for your briefing. I want you gone by sundown."

We all agreed on the meeting, paid for our meals and went off on our separate ways; Naruto and Sakura towards their respective homes, and Kiba and I towards my apartment to clean the mess we had left in my living room.

I was up the next morning long before my alarm was set to go off. Kenny was still fast asleep on his perch, so I just let him be as I made my way to the bathroom to prepare for the day ahead. I stripped down as soon as I reached the small room and hopped into the shower, letting the cold water drown away any semblance of sleepiness that the night had tagged me with. I relished in the feeling of a shower at home, realizing that the mission I was to embark on would deprive me of one for lord knows how long.

Wrapping myself in a towel once I finished, I scampered back to my room and dressed in my shinobi gear. It felt good to be back in attire fit for combat, especially since all I had worn for the past month were civilian clothes.

I made sure to take my time as I dried my hair and brushed my teeth, knowing that keeping myself busy would keep me from agonizing over the slow pace of the clock. By the time I was done with these tasks and had repacked my weapons and other mission necessities at least three times, it was only 11 am.

I was never good at waiting.

I laid out some birdseed for Kenny, who by this time was up and twittering about, and then collapsed face-first onto my couch.

"What the hell do I do for six hours!?" I screamed into the cushions.

As if on cue, there was a knock at my front door. I recognized the chakra to be Kiba's and yelled at him to come in, not even bothering to move.

I couldn't see since I kept my face buried in the seat of my couch, but I heard the distinct sound of my best friend kicking off his shoes and dropping his pack next to the door.

"Nao, what the hell do we do for six hours!?" Kiba wailed as he collapsed on top of my legs.

"Not sit on me, that's what," I groaned as I wiggled to free myself. I tumbled off the couch as soon as I removed my limbs from under the brunette and looked around the living room. "Where's Akamaru?"

"Naruto sent me a message last night and said that a giant dog would draw too much attention traveling, so I'll just have summon him if I get in a bind," Kiba said as he stretched out and took up my entire couch.

I just nodded, a smile blossoming on my face. Kiba raised an eyebrow in question.

"If Naruto wants us to be on the down-low that means this will probably be an espionage-related mission. I'm. So. Excited." I squealed as I rolled into a little ball and kicked my feet excitedly. I couldn't remember ever being so excited for a mission. I guess a month without action can do that to a girl.

Kiba let out a deep laugh, "me too. That reminds me, this is the first time I'll really see you in action. We'll see if your bite matches your bark."

I rolled my eyes, "ha ha, Dog Boy. Your canine puns have me in stitches."

He just grinned at my sarcastic jab and continued, "but really, I can't believe you'd be good at anything stealth related, what with how much of a loud klutz you are."

I scowled at this, "hey, I've only fallen around you, like, three tim—"

"Seven."

"Shut up. If you're gonna just make fun of me, don't come to my apartment," I threatened in a less than serious manner, ignoring the fact that he was right. I had a tendency to trip over anything and everything when I wasn't focused, which happened to be a lot over the past month.

"Nah. My company makes your life worth living," Kiba sat up as he praised himself, "now get me food."

"You know where the pantry is. Get it yourself."

Kiba let out another laugh as he hoisted himself up from the couch to raid my kitchen. Kenny had since finished his meal and went to greet my common house guest by landing on his shoulder and nipping happily at his ear.

Before I became friends with Kiba, Sakura, and the others, there was never anyone who came over. Like, ever. Naruto had dropped by maybe once or twice, but that was only on the rare occasion that I didn't have a mission and he wasn't drowning in paperwork. Kiba, however, had been over at least once a day since the day Akamaru trampled me in the middle of the training field. Sakura also came over frequently, which was a nice change since she wasn't constantly exuding testosterone.

Kenny, whom I had thought might become a bit stressed at the sudden influx of visitors, enjoyed the newfound company to a high degree. I smiled a bit at the thought; I guess being around just me all the time could get a bit old.

My mind wandered to the other people I had met over the past few weeks as well, amazing me, yet again, at how quickly my personal life had changed courses. Being around Kiba so much inevitably acquainted me with both Hinata Hyuuga and Shino Abarame. I had a hard time believing that they were Kiba's teammates, what with how loud he was in comparison to their quiet nature. Through Sakura I met her best friend, Ino Yamanaka, whom I didn't necessarily click with yet still found easy to tolerate. The blond's teammate, Shikamaru Nara, was another story. I can appreciate individuals with a good sense of sarcasm, so I found the company of the pony-tail wearing Jounin to be quite welcome.

I was snapped out of my reverie by a bag of chips flying at my face. I looked up and scowled in the direction the projectile had come from to see a smirking Kiba and a clearly amused Kenny squawking happily from the tanned man's shoulder.

I begrudgingly whistled and the little bird fluttered over to my shoulder, "you're supposed to be on my side," I mumbled, tearing open the bag of chips.

"You're so spacey," Kiba commented as he took a seat on the ground next to me, another bag of chips clasped in his own hands.

"I prefer thoughtful," I said between bites.

Kiba shrugged and began working on devouring his snack.

I was still quite amazed at how comfortable it was for me to be around the tanned male before me. Our personalities were so parallel it was almost scary; granted his temper was quite a bit shorter than mine. Even so, as I ate my chips, I found myself thinking about just how little I knew about Kiba. I'd met his immediate family and close friends from hanging around him so much, but I barely knew anything about his abilities as a shinobi. Sure, we had been training together just about every day for the past three weeks, but it was never anything serious. I also didn't know much about past missions he had been on, or any sort of experiences he'd gone through involving conflict.

He had mentioned to me once about how he was involved in the most recent shinobi war back when he was sixteen, but that was five years ago. Back then I was still with grandpa; we had heard about the war but decided it was best to stay back and defend our own home if need be.

Basically, the mission we were about to embark on would be something completely new; full of unknowns and discoveries.

Kiba let out a chuckle, "Nao, I know I'm insanely attractive and all, but even I can get uncomfortable if you stare like that."

I snapped back to reality and rolled my eyes, "don't flatter yourself, Inuzuka. I was just thinking."

"About?"

"The mission," I started slowly, "about how it's gonna go."

"We're gonna kick ass is how it's gonna go," he declared with a toothy grin.

A smile broke out across my face and I pushed all of my curious thoughts to the back of my mind, "hell yeah, we are."

And with that, Kiba and I set about finding means of occupying ourselves until it was time to leave for the briefing. We spent most of the time comparing gear and running back and forth between my place and his to grab something he had forgotten. His laid-back attitude contributed to his unruly forgetfulness, so after returning back to my apartment from his house for what had to be the fifth time in order to retrieve his soldier pills, we were delighted to see that the clock on my wall read 4:30.

We set out for the Hokage tower after double-checking our gear one last time. The streets were surprisingly crowded for a Sunday. Kiba waved at multiple people as we went; he definitely had to be one of the most social people I had ever met.

Before long we made it to the tower and raced our way up to Naruto's office. We were a good fifteen minutes early, but heck, it was close enough and we definitely weren't willing to wait any longer. I knocked once before pushing the office doors open and bolting inside. Luckily this time there weren't any angry council members to stare me down and criticize my manners.

Sakura was already there, chatting away with Naruto. They both looked up as Kiba and I walked in.

"Cool, since you're all here early we can just go ahead and get started," Naruto declared as he opened a folder that had been lying on his desk.

Kiba, Sakura, and I stood side by side in front of said piece of furniture; even though Naruto was our friend, mission briefings were a time to get serious.

Naruto seated himself at his chair and folded his hands in front of him as he scanned the open folder, "so," he started slowly, "I'm sure you guys have guessed that since I specifically asked for Nao that this mission will be heavily reliant on espionage."

We all nodded at his statement and I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from an outburst; the briefing was getting me pumped. Kiba must have noticed my effort to contain myself for out of the corner of my eye I saw his mouth twitch to suppress a smile.

Naruto, however, just continued with the briefing, "Nao, the reason I need you is to get some information out of a drug lord about a certain person of interest. We have sources on his general location, but Kiba, your tracking skills will be needed to pinpoint exactly where he is. Sakura, things could get a bit hairy, the guy is known to have some pretty high level shinobi-guards, so you'll need to act as both back-up and the team medic in case any injuries are sustained. Nao, since your skills are the biggest necessity in this mission, you're team leader. Sakura, Kiba, make sure to follow her lead. She knows what she's doing."

We all nodded again as we soaked in the information.

"So who's the guy I'm duping?" I asked as I crossed my arms over my chest.

Naruto tossed a photo to me from the folder, which I caught and looked down at, "Kenta Arishima is his name. Like I said, he's a drug lord. but your focus isn't to bust him for that—we'll get him for that later—your focus is to get info on the whereabouts of another person the council and I have decided to set our sights on capturing."

Kiba and Sakura both looked over my shoulder at the image in my hand. Kenta Arishima appeared as a stocky man with thinning hair and a rather unattractively square face. He looked to be in his forties or so, and his exuberant clothing displayed the obvious wealth he possessed from his trade.

I looked up after memorizing the target's face, determination radiating through me, "okay, sounds easy enough." I grabbed the folder containing the rest of the details on the mission as Naruto handed it to me, and passed it to Kiba who began to leaf through it and scan its contents. "So who is this 'person of interest' I'm getting dirt on?"

Naruto looked down at his desk, a hard expression adorning his features. The look on his face immediately clued me in on how important this mission was; he had my full attention.

Kiba looked up from the folder at Naruto's drawn out silence, "who is it?"

Naruto heaved a sigh and looked up, but not at me or Kiba; his blues eyes were glued to Sakura's green ones.

The rosette had a confused and worried expression on her face, "who is it, Naruto." She said it as a statement, not a question.

Another sigh escaped the blond man's lips before he spoke, serious eyes still on Sakura, "You guys are finding out where Sasuke is... Sasuke Uchiha."

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**A/N: Dun dun DUUUUUUUUHH. Yeah, I went there. Anyway, I felt so bad about not updating in such a long time that I pretty much made two chapters into one as a sort of compensation. I also didn't have anything else to do since I'm bedridden with the flu. If I'm still feeling crummy tomorrow I'll try to work on getting another chapter out before I lapse into another spell of no updates. I have excuses on my profile if you feel like reading them, but you know. Things happen.**

**Anyways, to those of you who have reviewed, you are awesome! Remember, anyone can review, even if you don't have an account! The new layout makes it super simple to do so:D I would also like to point out how much I appreciate when people give me reviews on each individual chapter instead of just one collective review. That is not only because more reviews make me feel special, (I won't deny it. They all give me that warm and fuzzy feeling) but also because they help me gauge my readers' reactions to the story and make it easier for me to convey the story in a way that I hope will be universally pleasing. So leave as many reviews as you can! They don't go unnoticed and they are GREATLY appreciated, I promise:)  
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